mjvanhusen's reviews
171 reviews

Conversations on Love by Natasha Lunn

5.0

There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak

adventurous emotional hopeful informative reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I loved this book so much I didn’t want it to end. Right from the beginning I was transported and reminded of why I fell in love with historical fiction as a kid. It’s an interesting read after just having read Babel and watched Shogun, since it offers another story related to history, exploration, and colonization. For I awhile I was trying to figure out if Shafak was romanticizing colonization and western countries stealing artifacts, but I think she is accurately critical of the motivations. The use of water as a central theme that connects the characters is similar to the Overstory. This book is incredibly well researched and Shafak notes when she changed history a bit. I appreciate her attention to genocides that have been forgotten and current atrocities occurring, such as the missing Yazidi women. Shafak is an incredible writer and everyone should read this book!

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Rape, and Sexual assault

Hope by Andrew Ridker

emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman

emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog: And Other Stories from a Child Psychiatrist's Notebook by Bruce D. Perry

challenging informative sad medium-paced

3.5

Happy Place by Emily Henry

emotional funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka

emotional funny reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

Writers & Lovers by Lily King

lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0